ROMAN K M P 1 R E. 



{Ionian 



And burn* 

 tlie city- 



Camillus 

 laughters 

 the Gauls 

 before 

 Ardea. 



Pontius 

 Cominius 

 ascends the 

 capitol. 



Brenmis 

 (urprisea 

 the capito'. 



the band of old men who had devoted themselves to 

 death. Thr troop* at lir.-a kept aloof from the sacred 

 but n soldier, more adventurous than the rest, 

 having from curiosity touched tin- heard of ,\1. 1'apirius, 

 the old Roman .struck him with his ivory Klaft', when 

 tin- soldier instantly slew him ; and tin (i.uiN follow- 

 ing his example, slaughtered without mercy this little 

 baml of devoted patriot'. The city was now delivered 

 up to pillage; the inhabitants \\vre put to the sword 

 without distinction ; and Brennus having been repulsed 

 in an attempt upon the capitol, he burnt the city, de- 

 molished the temples and public buildings, and razed 

 the walls to the very earth. 



Brennus now converted the siege of the capitol into 

 a blockade, but, from the scarcity of provisions, he 

 was compelled to raise contributions in the neighbour- 

 in^ c -ities. When one of these foraging parties appeared 

 before Ardea, Camillus, who had spent two years as a 

 piivute individual in that city, encouraged the Ardeates 

 to arm their youth in the defence of their city. 

 This unexpected resistance brought the army of the 

 Gauls before Ardea ; but, despising the Ardeates, they 

 devoteil themselves to drunkenness, and no longer pre- 

 served any order or discipline in their camp. At the 

 head of a chosen band Camillus surprised the camp in 

 a dark night, and when the troops were drowned in 

 wine he made a dreadful slaughter among them, while 

 those who escaped were massacred without mercy by 

 the peasants. This unlooked-for success revived the 

 drooping spirits of the Romans. The wreck of the 

 army defeated at Allia rallied under his standard ; but 

 though he was urged to take the command of them, he 

 refused till he received a regular appointment from the 

 people. 



In this emergency Pontius Cominius, a bold but am- 

 bitious plebeian, threw himself into the Tiber early in 

 the night, and suffering himself to be floated down with 

 the stream, landed at the foot of the capitol, at a steep 

 place where no centinels were placed. Mounting its 

 precipitous sides, he informed the besieged of the suc- 

 cess of Camillus; and the senate being assembled, and 

 the Curise called together, the condemnation of Camil- 

 lus was abrogated, and he was unanimously appointed 

 dictator. Cominius soon returned with the joyful tid- 

 ings, and in a short time Camillus found himself at the 

 head of 40,000 men. 



In walking round the base of the capitol, some of 

 Brenuus's soldiers observed the print of Cominius's feet 

 and hands on the side of the hill, and having commu- 

 nicated the intelligence to their leader, he resolved to 

 enter the capitol by the same path. He accordingly 

 selected a determined band of mountaineers, who 

 climbed the rock, and entered the citadel without 

 alarming either the sentinels or the dogs. A flock of 

 k r eese, however, v. as frightened at their approach, and 

 running up and down cackling and flapping their 

 wings, they awakened Manlius, who mounted the ram- 

 parts, slew one of the assailants, and precipitated ano- 

 ther from the top of the rock. The Romans in the 

 mean time assembled in numbers, and speedily disper- 

 sed the Gauls, the greater number of whom threw 

 themselves over the rock, in order to escape the swords 

 of the enemy. 



Next morning the tribune Sulpitius assembled the 

 troops. They rewarded Manlius for his courage; ex- 

 ecuted the captain of the guard for his negligence ; and 

 resolved that a flock of geese should ever afterwards 

 be kept in Home at the public expence. 



While Brennus continued the siege of the capitol, he 



was himself hemmed in by the activity of Camillus. 

 Famine added itself to the other calamities both of the 

 (i.mls and the Humans ; and plague broke out in the 

 ;ius, which was pitched among the ruins 

 of the city, and the bodies of the unburied Romans. 



The brave defenders of the capitol were ignorant 

 both of the distresses of their enemies, and of the active negotiates 

 exertions of their friends. Famine had reduced them *"** *** 

 to tle last extremity of distress, and seeing no pros- '**"* 

 pect of deliverance, Sulpitius was compelled to nego- 

 ciate with the Gauls. On the condition that the Roman 

 territory should be evacuated, Sulpitius agreed to pay 

 1000 pounds weight of gold, (,45,000) ; but after the 

 gold was brought, the Gauls weighed it with false 

 weights; and when Sulpitius complained of the decep- 

 tion, Brennus threw his sword and belt into the scale, 

 and exclaimed Vn < , 



While the broken spirit of the Romans was thus insult- Cmmiflas 

 ed amid the ruins of their city and of their fortunes, int * rferefc 

 Caraillus appeared at the gates with his army. With 

 a chosen band he liastened to the conference, and learn- 

 ing on his way the insolence of Brennus, he exclaimed 

 as he approached, " Carry back the gold into the capi- 

 tol, and you Gauls retire with your weights and scales. 

 Rome must be ransomed by steel and not by gold." 

 Brennus replied that the treaty was ratified by mutual 

 oaths ; but Camillus, as invested with the supreme 

 power, declared the contract to be void. Brennus flew 

 into a rage, and both parties having drawn their swords, 

 the Gauls after some loss retired into their camp, which 

 they abandoned in the night, and, after a march of 

 eight miles, encamped on the Gabinian way. Camillus Camillus 

 pursued them at break of day, defeated them after a destroy* the 

 faint resistance, and put great numbers to the sword. ann y f tnt 

 Besides those which were slain in the action and in the (iauli - 

 retreat, numbers were killed by the peasants, and not a 

 Gaul survived to carry home to his country the tidings 

 of this memorable action. Loaded with the spoils of 

 the barbarians, Camillus returned triumphant to the 

 city, and was honoured as the father of his country, 

 and the second founder of Rome. 



The almost total destruction of the city induced 

 many of the tribunes to propose to abandon it, and re- 

 move the seat of government to Veii, a city strongly 

 fortified both by nature and art. The people were dis- 

 posed to enter into the measure ; but Camillus, sup- 

 ported by the senate, urged the rebuilding of Home by 

 every appeal which could be made to their inten 

 and feelings. When the question was about to be de- 

 cided, L. Lucretius was beginning to speak, when a 

 centurion exclaimed in passing by, " Plant your co- 

 lours ensign, this is the best place to stay in." Lucretius 

 taking advantage of the words, cried out, " A happy 

 omen ; I adore the gods who gave it." The senate ap- 

 plauded his speech, and the decree for rebuilding 

 Rome was passed without opposition. 



The rebuilding of the city was scarcely completed, Rome 

 when the Equi, Volsci, Latins, and Hernici, entered rebuilt, 

 into a formidable combination against the Romans. 

 Camillus was a third time chosen dictator, and having 

 made Servilius his general of horse, he marshalled the 

 citizens of all ages, and formed three armies. One was 

 placed under A. Manlius, the second was sent to the Camillus 

 neighbourhood of Veii ; and at the head of the third he defeats th 

 marched to the relief of the tribunes, whom the Volsci ^ ol8ci - 

 and Latins had closely besieged in their camp. Upon 

 the arrival of Camillus, the Volsci and Latins fortified 

 their camp with huge trees newly cut down. Observ- 

 ing that the wind blew full on the enemy's camp, th 



